Black.It swallows him.
A breathless hush—not silence. A void packed tight with old voices.Laughter sharpened into knives."Cheap. Loser."Her name twisted in mouths that were never kind.
Karthik tries to scream. Nothing. Dust.Legs—useless.Hands—numb.Heart—splintering.
Ghosts flicker at the edges. Memory or madness, he doesn't know.The bus seat. The crash. The smell of metal.Mother's photo—torn, spat upon. Her eyes, tired, searching for lost hope.
He stumbles. Falls. No ground. No sky. Just in-between.Shadows reach—cold, sticky, whispering ugly secrets.
And there—her shape. Fragile. Mourning.Sari grey as grief. Hands trembling. Rope in hand.Her voice—wind trembling through glass.
"I… I can't… stay… without you, Karthik. Listen… hear me? I called. The world swallowed me…"
He reaches. She doesn't see. Her gaze, locked beyond death's veil.Words pile like stones in his throat."Please… you're not alone. Not you. Not ever."No sound escapes. Only ache. Endless.
Her hands—rope, chair, hope undone.Swing. A lullaby lost in shadows.Karthik falls. Tears bloom—wild, wet. His soul howls.
Night presses. Shame, regret, love—all tangled.He is nowhere.He is her sorrow given shape.Somewhere, the world could have been kind. Here? Only night.
Arjun's Awakening – Heart of Light
Gentle. Stillness poured over him. Weightless. Breath fluttering like wings in sunlight.Warmth, not heat. Forgiveness, not pain.
He opens his eyes.The tree. Ancient. Tall. Calm. Roots weaving deep into golden light.Leaves shimmer like whispered promises.
A voice, soft, playful. "Hello, Arjun."
He turns. A woman. Gentle as moonlight. Presence soft as sighing wind.Eyes: centuries dancing, hope threaded in every fold.
"Who… who are you? Where… am I?"
"This is your heart," she said. "Where you always truly were. I am Elyra. Guide. Keeper. The right path."
He stumbles over the words. "Right path?"
"Yes. You are pure. Nineteen minutes dead, but chosen. Two paths now: touch the tree—rest, peace, eternal calm. Or return. Live again. Fight for the unpure."
Arjun's gaze fixes on the branches. The tree whispers in golden wind.He almost reaches…
Leaves tremble. One darkens. Another falls. Shadowed rain.
Karthik's Descent – Roots of Hate
The black opens beneath him. Thick. Suffocating. Screams uncountable.
A voice. His own? Not. Echoing from a shadowed corner."What do you want?"
His dark self emerges—eyes coal-hot, smile cruel."All of them. Every laugh, every twisted word. Every hand that broke my mother. They burn. All of them."
The world ruptures. Black roots erupt from the soil, pulsing with agony. Dead eyes stare up, hungry.
"Where am I?" he whispers.
"Your crown. Your prison. Your pain made flesh."
Karthik trembles. Fury roars."You can save her. But the cost…""Anything," he says. Voice broken, raw, fire coiling in his chest.
Hands lift. Dead souls—thousands—rise, screaming into him.The roots glow red. Veins of agony thread through the black.Malachar's laughter rolls in, low and curious. Interesting… very interesting.
Karthik's eyes—dark, infinite.He is no longer just broken.He is power, rage, despair—alive in the shadow.
Arjun's Choice – Vision of Meera
Hand inches from the shimmering leaves. Breath caught.The world blurs. Sharp, cruel vision:Meera. Small. Cold. Still.
"No! No, Meera!" His scream shatters golden calm.
Elyra, voice urgent: "Arjun, what is it?"
"My sister… she's in danger. I have to save her."
The tree shivers. Leaves fall like sorrow."You risk your soul. Should you fail, the Void awaits."
"I don't care," he says, unwavering. "I choose life. I will save her. I will do whatever it takes."
Leaves still. Light returns. The tree acknowledges his resolve. Elyra studies him.Who is this boy? What is this strength?
Karthik – Dark Roots, Throne of Pain
Dead souls flood into him. Hollow eyes, whispering agony.He breathes it in. Swallows despair. His body pulses with new power.
Roots brighten. Veins of crimson. Life from pain.A shadow voice whispers—curious, awe-laden."You are… different. Special."
Karthik swallows. Ember flickers in storm."I chose darkness. Because light failed. Because pain must burn to be heard."
Roots surge. Fire threads through black.Not prison. Not void. His throne.